Gun background checks returning to Oregon Legislature

The Oregon Legislature appears primed for another debate over whether to expand the state's requirements for who must undergo a background check to buy a gun, and a recent poll suggests most Oregonians would support that.

The poll, paid for by Americans for Responsible Solutions, found that 87 percent of Oregonians support expanded background checks and 83 percent of gun owners do.

Those numbers dropped when people were asked about their "strong" support of expanded background checks — 70 percent and 59 percent, respectively — but they still showed support in strong majorities.

That may bode well for Democrats in the legislature who would like to pass a bill that would require background checks for people who buy guns online and through other informal venues.

Oregon currently requires them for all gun purchases at a licensed store or gun show, but there are still some sales that slip through the cracks.

A bill has not been introduced yet, but the legislature tried to pass a similar bill in 2014. It never made it to a vote in the Senate, where Democratic Sen. Betsy Johnson's opposition would have doomed it to fail.

This year, Democrats have a much larger majority in the Senate (18 to 12) and therefore a much higher likelihood of finding enough people to support the bill.

Democrats also enjoy a sizable majority in the House of Representatives and an ally in Gov. John Kitzhaber, who is expected to sign the bill if it passes.

Senate Judiciary chairman Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene, told the Associated Press he plans to introduce the bill soon. It would require anyone selling a gun privately to call state police for a background check on criminal history and mental illness. It would exclude sales among family members, inheritances and antique guns.

"I want to put closure on the only loophole we have on the background check law," Prozanski said. "Most all of us gun owners, as well as the general public, believe we should take reasonable steps to stop felons from getting easy access to guns. This will do that."

The poll from Americans for Responsible Solutions, released Wednesday, could be overstating Oregonians' support slightly.

The group is an advocacy organization set up by former U.S. Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, in response to the 2011 mass shooting at a Giffords speaking engagement in Arizona. She was shot in the head, six people were killed and 12 more were injured.

The poll was conducted by the Benenson Strategy Group, a left-leaning firm whose CEO has worked for both President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Spokesman Mark Prentice said poll takers were asked to explain their support of the statement: "Requiring everyone to pass a background check before buying a gun, no matter where they buy it."

However, the public support shown in the poll more or less tracks with national trends.

Washington voters passed a ballot measure in 2014 that expanded background checks, and it enjoyed 59 percent support.

It became the 10th state with that requirement for gun sales. Two of them, Maryland and Pennsylvania, require it for handguns only, but the other eight require expanded checks for all firearm sales.

So far, any financial support in Oregon's conversation about potential new gun laws is coming from supporters. The National Rifle Association gave almost no money in the 2014 election, contributing just $500, split between two candidates.

That stands in start contrast to the money that poured in from Everytown for Gun Safety, an advocacy group supported by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The group gave $450,000 at the end of the 2014 campaign, including $250,000 to Kitzhaber just days before the November election.

Another $75,000 went to Chuck Riley, who narrowly unseated Sen. Bruce Starr to become the Democrats' 18th vote in the Senate.

hhoffman@statesmanjournal.com, (503) 399-6719 or follow at twitter.com/HannahKHoffman